Pioneering New Albion Ale returns in cans

Pioneering New Albion Ale returns in cans

New Albion Brewing Co. is releasing the groundbreaking New Albion Ale in cans with the help of Platform Beer Co. in Cleveland.

New Albion Brewing Co. is releasing the groundbreaking New Albion Ale in cans with the help of Platform Beer Co. in Cleveland. The pioneering New Albion Ale is back — and this time it’s coming in cans.

In case you forgot, New Albion is credited with being the first microbrewery in the United States. But it went out of business in 1982 and founder and brewer Jack McAuliffe drifted off into obscurity for decades until a recent revival of the brand.

To make a long, long, long story short, DeLuca is McAuliffe’s daughter and she is resurrecting New Albion with the help of Platform Beer Co. in Cleveland.

The groundbreaking pale ale will now be available in 12-ounce cans, along with draft. It’ll retail for $10.99 a six-pack and be distributed wherever Platform is sold.

“I wanted to bring it back in a way that was super convenient so people could take it on their boat or on the golf course — wherever they are going,” DeLuca, a Cleveland-area resident, said about why she opted for cans instead of bottles.

She also rebooted the label, which features a tall ship on the open sea. The new label pops with much more color than the original.

“It’s Jack-approved,” DeLuca said.

Platform will host can release parties at 5 p.m. Oct. 5 at its brewery at 4125 Lorain Ave. in Cleveland and taproom at 408 N. Sixth St. in Columbus. (The beer is already out on draft.) There also will be an event at a yet-to-be-determined Cincinnati location.

McAuliffe is expected to make an appearance with DeLuca at the Cleveland launch party.

“We are excited to bring back this historic beer in cans so it can be distributed further and enjoyed by craft beer lovers throughout Ohio,” Platform co-founder Justin Carson said in a prepared statement. “Its clean, crisp refreshing taste is the foundation every craft beer that followed was built upon.”

Homage, a vintage-inspired apparel company in Columbus, has designed a T-shirt featuring the iconic schooner. The shirts will be sold at Homage retail locations and at Homage.com for $32.

Meanwhile, New Albion, which was founded in Sonoma, Calif., will celebrate the 41st anniversary of its incorporation on Oct. 8.